Apparatus for manufacturing shoes



NOV. 19, 1940; M, P MEDVWQK TAL A 2,221,84

l APPARATUS FCR MANUFACTURING sHoEs Filed Aprii 24, 1940 2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTORS NV- 19, 1940- M. P. MEDwlcK ETAL 2,221,841

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING SHOES .Filed April 24, 1940 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Nov. 19, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Maury P. Medwick and Arthur D. Basch, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application April 24, 1940, Serial No.- 331,374

8 Claims.

This invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing shoes, and more particularly to one which facilitates the operation of smoothening or eliminating wrinkles or irregularities in n portions of the shoe upper.

rlhe primary object ofthe invention is to provide a device by which one or more portions of a shoe upper is subjected to the action of heated air under pressure, the effect of which, upon the portions of the shoe so treated, is to shrink and smooth out the leather thereby causing the treated parts of the upper to be smoothly and uniformly stretched over the desired areas of the shoe which they overlie.

More particularly, the apparatus includes a hollow, suitably shaped, heated support or pressing member adapted to t around the portion of the shoe to be treated, and a source of heated air under pressure communicating with the interior of the support, the support being provided with a plurality of air-emitting openings through which the heated air may egress to contact with the parts of the shoe to be smoothed out and thereby apply heat and pressure to said parts to iron and shrink the same into an unwrinkled, attened condition.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein several embodiments of the invention are shown, Fig. l is a Vertical sectional view through an apparatus made in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus, with the airheating chamber shown in section; Fig. 3 is a View of the under side of the pressing member; Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view through the same; Fig. 5 is a view of a portion of a shoe showing the wrinkled and irregular condition of parts of the shoe upper before being subjected to the action of the apparatus; Fig. 6 is a view of the same portion of the shoe, showing how the wrinkled folded-over parts of the same have been smoothed out after being treated by the apparatus; Fig. i is a view of a modified s-tructure for use in smoothing down the welt portion of a shoe upper; Fig. 8 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 9 is a view of part of a shoe showing how the welt portion is wrinkled before being treated by the apparatus shown in Figs. 7 and 8; and Fig. l0 is a sectional View through a modiied structure for operating upon the welt portion of a shoe.

With reference to the structure shown in Figs. l and 2, H) indicates the base plate or support for the device which is secured upon a table or other suitable support, and rising from the plate l0 are spaced pedestals Il which support the opposite ends of a heating chamber l2, said chamber I being in the form of a hollow, tubular member having its exterior surface covered by asbestos I3 or other suitable insulation.

The opposite ends of the heating chamber are f closed by dome-shaped caps I4 into which piping i5 is threaded, said piping being connected by a union i6 lto air supply pipe Il in which a manually-operated control valve IB is located. Air

under pressure is forced from a suitable source of supply through the pipe I1 and into the piping I5 to the interior of the chamber I2 where the same is heated by electrical heating elements it. As a substitute for electrical heating elements, gas or some other form of heating means may be employed.

Extending radially from the air heating chamber i2 are one or more tubes 20, each of said tubes supporting and communicating with a hollow U-shaped pressing member 2E. Thus,y heated air in chamber I2 will pass through the pipes 2li and into the interior of the U-shaped pressing member 2| and emanate from the same through a plurality of perforations 22 provided in the bottom face and the inner side wall of, the member adjacent its lower end, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Mounted adjustably on the bottom face of the pressing member 2l is a plate 23 having a downwardly extending stop ange 24 that is covered by asbestos 38 or some other suitable insulating material. The plate 23 is adjustable on the pressing member 2| by means of the screws 25 entering through the slots 2G in a rearwardly extending part 39 of the pressing member.

A portion of a shoe to be treated is shown in Fig. 5 wherein 2l indicates a part of the upper near the rear of the shoe, the parts of said upper indicated at 28 being inturned at the bottom or sole portion of the shoe. It is desirable in the manufacture of shoes to eliminate wrinkles and irregularities in these portions of the shoe so that the sole, when applied thereover, will t smoothly and evenly over the flattened-out portions 28. The base IU is provided beneath each of the heating members 2l with shoe-supporting means including a rod 29 having its lower end pivoted at 30 between lugs 3| rising from the support l0. A sleeve .32 surrounds the rod 29 and is movable thereon against the spring 33 which is located within the sleeve 32 and has one end bearing against the upper end of the rod 29. Through the arrangemenet disclosed, the spring tends to raise the sleeve 32 so that a last 34 removably fitted upon the rounded upper end 35 of the sleeve 32, will hold a shoe 36 firmly but resiliently against the under-side of the heating member 2|, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 with the parts 28 of the shoe in contact with the perforated portion of pressing member 2|.

In placing a shoe upon the last 34, the support therefor, consisting of the elements 29 and 32, is swung forward on the pivot 30 until it comes to rest against the stop 31 secured on and rising from the base plate I0. The parts are shown in this position in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The shoe is now placed upon the last 34 and the support is swung rearwardly or in a direction toward the heating member 2| and the spring 33 is slightly compressed by manual pressure to allow the rear end of the shoe to be inserted under the pressing member 2| until the rear of the shoe comes into contact with `the stop 24. At this point the portion 28 of the shoe to be smoothed out is located beneath the air holes 22 and the heat of member 2| and the heated air under pressure emanating -through holes 22, operates against theportions 28 of the shoe, and by the action of air pressure and heat, these portions 28 are smoothed orironed out and the leather slightly shrunk to eliminate the wrinkles and cause the inturned end portions of the shoe to smoothly conform to the shoe elements about which they are extended. The asbestos-covered portion 38 of the stop member 24 prevents the portions of the shoe upper brought into contact with it from being damaged by action of heat.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings, the underside or bottom of the pressing member is shown, wherein the arrangement of the hot-air emitting holes 22 is plainly disclosed. The arrangement, number and size of the holes are such that not only the under portion of the shoe, seen in Fig. 5 and indicated at 28 therein, receives the air blasts from the holes, and transmitted heat from the pressing member, but blasts of hot air emanating from some of said holes travel along the sides or quarters 48 of the shoe (Fig. 1). The effect of such blasts of hot air is such, and particularly in the case of porous types of leather, as to shrink the leather tightly over the counters and greatly enhance the appearance of the shoe. Moreover, some of the air holes permit egress of hot air at such points as to enable it to impinge against the rear of the shoe at and around the rear seam or joint 50 (Fig. 5) thereby tending to shrink the leather in the vicinity of the seam and improving the appearance of the rear of the shoe. By arrangement of the stop member 24 with respect to the pressing member on which it is mounted, the shoe held on the support 34, 35 may be properly positioned with respect to the air holes to thereby receive the air blasts wherever desired so that the heating, pressing and shrinking results attained are located in the desired portions of the shoe Wherein these operations are most necessary.

In the embodiment of the invention disclosed in Figs. 7 and 8, a U-shaped pressing member 4| shaped to conform to the front or vamp portion of a shoe, is shown. Said pressing member is adapted to eliminate wrinkles or irregularities such as shown at 40 in Fig. 9 in the welt portion of the shoe. The pressing member 4| is connected to the hot-air feed pipe 20 as explained in respect to the pressing member 2| and the shoe 42 to be operated upon is supported on a plate 43 mounted on the upper end of the sleeve 33. Pressing member 4| may have those portions of it which do not require smoothing or pressing, covered with asbestos or other insulating material so that the heated pressing member is prevented from directly contacting therewith. This is not shown in the drawing to simplify the disclosure.

It will be apparent that by subjecting those portions of the shoe to the contact of the heated 4pressing member and by expelling heated air under pressure from the pressing member and against those portions of the shoe upper which require smoothening and flattening, a combined ironing and shrinking effect is attained, resulting in the treated portions of the shoe assuming a smooth, flattened condition, substantially as shown at 44 in Fig. 6.

While we have shown the pressing members 2| and 4| more or less U-shaped to conform to and accommodate certain portions of the shoe, it will be obvious that those elements may be differently shaped to enable the same to receive and operate upon such other portions of the shoe as may require the treatement herein described. Accordingly, we do not wish to be understood as limiting the invention to the specific form of pressing members shown, since the same and other changes may be readily made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Also while we have shown heated air as the fluid medium expelled from the pressing member, steam may in certain cases be employed, if desired.

In Fig. 10 is indicated a pressing member adapted for operation upon the welt portion 40 of a shoe. Therein, the front face 46 of the pressing member is inclined so that it avoids physical contact with the toe portion 5| of the shoe, yet transmits heat thereto by radiation. Also in this modification, the pressing member is provided in its front with a row of angular, upwardly directed air holes 41 which directs blasts of heated air up over the vamp portion of the shoe, thereby shrinking and smoothening the leather thereof.

What we claim is:

1. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a hollow U-shaped pressing member, a tube communicating with the interior of the same, a source of heated air connected to the tube, the pressing member having a bottom plate provided with a plurality of perforations through which the heated air emanates, an adjustable stop on the bottom plate, and a resilient support for holding a shoe against the bottom plate with a portion of said shoe to be smoothed in contact with the perforated portion of the bottom plate.

2. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a source of air under pressure, a heating chamber connected to said source, heating means in said heating chamber whereby air entering therein will be heated, a hollow pressing member connected to the heatnig chamber and receiving heated air under pressure therefrom, said hollow member including a contact plate against which a shoe is held, said contact plate being provided with a plurality of perforations through which the heated air emanates and is brought into contact with a portion of the shoe held against it, and a support for removably holding the shoe against the pressing member with a portion of said shoe to be smoothed held in contact with the perforated contact plate.

3. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a U-shaped hollow member against which the rear end of the shoe is brought, said member having a flat, perforated plate portion against which the bottom of the shoe is rested with inturned portions of the shoe upper disposed against said plate portion, a stop on said member for positioning the rear end of the shoe with respect t-o the perforated portion of the plate, and a source of heated air under pressure communicating with the interior of the hollow member.

4. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a base, supporting pedestals rising therefrom, a hollow elongated heating chamber held by said pedestals, piping entering the opposite ends of said chamber, a source of air under pressure connected to said piping whereby air may be delivered therethrough and into the chamber, heating means within the chamber for heating air delivered into the same, a swinging resilient support for a shoe mounted on the base, a hollow pressing member connected to the heating chamber and located above the shoe-support whereby said shoe-support will resiliently hold a shoe against said pressing member, said pressing member having perforations through which heated air emanates to reach the portion o the shoe held in contact with the pressing member by the support, the connection between the heating chamber and the hollow support comprising a tubular passage through which heated air under pressure is delivered from the heating chamber into the hollow pressing member.

5. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a U-shaped hollow pressing member', means for conveying heated air under pressure into said member, said member being perforated and shaped to conform to a portion of a shoe, the perforations being located in the under portion of the member, and an insulated adjustable stop for positioning the shoe with respect to the perforated portion thereof to cause a part of the shoe to be smoothed to overlie the perforated portion of the pressing member.

6. An apparatus of -the character described comprising, a U-shaped hollow pressing member having a face portion against which the bottom rear portion of a shoe is rested, means for supplying heated air under pressure into said pressing member, the face portion of said member being provided with openings through which said heated air may exit to impinge against the shoe, 4the openings in said face portion being so located that air emanating from some of them impinges against the bottom of the shoe and the air from other openings impinges against the quarter of the shoe to thereby shrink these portions of the shoe.

7. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a hollow U-shaped pressing member adapted to extend around the toe portion of a shoe and overlie the welt on the shoe in said toe portion, Imeans for delivering heated air into the interior of said pressing member, the pressing member being provided with holes through which said air may emanate to impinge against the welt portion of the shoe, the pressing member having an angular face inclining away from the toe portion of the shoe to thereby avoid contact therewith and thereby avoid damage by heat to the shoe toe.

8. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a hollow pressing member adapted to lit around a portion of a shoe and overlie a welt to be attened, means for supplying heated air under pressure to the interior of said pressing member, said pressing member being provided with a plurality of holes through which the heated air emanates to Contact with the welt, some of said holes extending upwardly to direct streams of the heated air over a part of the shoe upper, the last mentioned holes being located in a portion of the pressing member that is spaced away from and out of contact with the portions of the shoe upper over Which the heated air is directed by said holes.

MAURY P. MEDWICK. ARTHUR D. BASCH. 

